GOOD JUDGES AND GOOD-HEARTED JUDGES. SOME SIMPLE REFLECTIONS AND DOUBTS ON JUDICIAL ETHICS

This article analyzes the relations between ethics and the role of judges from different points of view. The former approach deals with the moral conscience of a judge in the application of an unfair rule. The second approach is related to the central value of judicial independence. The third approach is connected with the idea of judicial virtues that go beyond of the mere application of the rules. Finally, the fourth approach poses the differences between a good judge and a good-hearted judge, what raise the question if bad persons can be good judges.